Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
2000
CORROSION
ABSTRACT
The increase in use of high quality and expensive pipeline coatings has heightened the need for field
joint coating systems to match the quality of the factory coating. Recent developments in field joint
coating technology have gone a long way to address this need.
This paper describes one major Middle Eastern oil and gas company's experience with a number of
field joint coating systems for three layer polyethylene and polypropylene coated pipes. This
experience includes coating well over a 100,000 field joints in some of the toughest conditions
(extreme heat and humidity, coupled with sand storms) existing in any oil & gas field.
A comparison is made between the different field joint coating systems in terms of technical
characteristics, cost and ease of application in the field. The relative scarcity of international standards,
and hence the importance of pre-qualification trials & production testing in the field is also highlighted.
Keywords: coating, pipeline, underground, field joint, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, FBE,
heat shrink sleeve, tape wrap, flame spray
Copyright
2000by NACEInternational.Requestsfor permissionto publishthis manuscriptin anyform, in part or in wholemustbe in writingto NACE
International,ConferencesDivision, P.O.Box 218340,Houston,Texas77218-8340.The materialpresentedand the viewsexpressedin this
paperare solelythoseof the author(s)and are not necessarilyendorsedby the Association.Printedin U.S.A.
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Paper No.
Underground steel pipelines in the Middle East, carrying oil and gas, have traditionally been coated
and often supplemented by cathodic protection. One of the most common types of coating for these
pipelines has been coal tar epoxy. Environmental concerns with coal tar have led to limiting, and in
most European and North American countries, total banning of the use of coal tar based coatings. An
attractive alternative appeared to be cold wrapped tapes. These offer the advantage of easy field
application and negate the requirement for speciality field joint coatings. The experience with these
coatings has, at best, been mixed in the Gulf desert environment 1. A major reason for this is the
existence of Sabkha areas in the Arabian deserts. These are highly saline marshy soils which are both
highly corrosive and subject to much movement. The coatings in these areas are therefore subjected
to saline water, stress and high temperatures. Cold wrapped tapes 1, and even in some instances fusion
bonded epoxy (FBE) 2, have been found to undergo rapid deterioration in these Sabkha areas. This can
cause accelerated corrosion of the pipeline leading to leaks. Normally it should be possible to avoid
leaks, at least in the short term, by adjusting the level of cathodic protection. However, if the coating
deterioration is on a large scale, or if the CP levels are not continuously monitored, leaks can still
occur. These factors, and the need for coatings with higher temperature resistance, has led to the
increasing use of three layer polyethylene (PE) and three layer polypropylene (PP) coating systems in
the Gulf countries. In Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) the majority of new
steel underground pipelines are coated with these three layer coatings.
Coatings can degrade due to a number of reasons. These include:
The damage can also be done before pipeline installation during transportation from factory to site.
Perhaps the greatest contributor to coating failures is poor coating application.
The main factors that determine the selection of a suitable pipeline coating system are:
Soil resistivity
Design life
Pipeline design temperature
Cost
Climatic conditions
Ease of application & repair
Pipeline laying method
Availability of skilled applicators
Equipment requirements
Coating of field Joints
Track record
Health, safety & environmental regulations
In soils with very high resistivity it may be possible to bury a pipeline without any coating, particularly if
it is being cathodically protected. However, in low resistivity soil, such as the Sabkha areas, corrosivity
levels are high and a good, impermeable coating is required in addition to cathodic protection. Such a
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INTRODUCTION
Temperature is a major factor in selecting a coating. For example, the choice between the three layer
polyethylene and three layer polypropylene coating systems is usually based on the maximum
operating temperature. Table 1 provides a general guideline for maximum operating temperature of a
number of different coatings 3.
The welded joint is the weakest structural area in a pipeline. Unless it has been stress relieved, it can
have a much higher stress concentration than the surrounding metal and thus be more susceptible to
cracking. Its corrosion resistance, measurable by its critical pitting temperature (CPT), is also usually
less than the parent metal. It therefore requires excellent protection. For this reason, the quality of the
field joint coating should be at least as good as the rest of the pipeline's factory coating. Otherwise the
combination of the weld and inferior field joint coating can present a double weak spot in the pipeline.
The desert environment, with high temperatures, humidity and frequent sand storms make successful
field coating application very difficult. It is a universal belief that surface preparation is critical to the
success of any coating, particularly in severe environments 4'5. The performance of field joint coatings
has been directly related to surface cleanliness 6.
The three layer coating systems have become increasingly popular for coating of oil and gas pipelines,
both in the Middle East and the North Sea. These coatings consist of a FBE primer, a modified
adhesive layer and a top layer of either polypropylene or polyethylene. They are applied in the factory
in an automated, assembly line manner. Polyethylene and polypropylene have no adherence to steel
and therefore must have a primer (usually FBE). Prior to coating the pipeline surface is blast cleaned,
heated, spray washed (sometimes with phosphoric acid), spray rinsed with hot water and dried. If
required, it can also be chemically treated with chromate solution.
Once the candidate coating systems pass the procedure qualification tests, the final choice is often
made by the contractors. Cost, ease and speed of application and equipment requirements are then
likely to become the major selection criteria. Table 2 gives some indications of relative costs of a few
coatings 3'7 and Table 3 offers a cost comparison between field joint coating systems for polypropylene.
Field joint coating systems for pipelines coated with FBE and 3 layer PE/PP systems are described.
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coating not only should have good resistance to corrosion and water permeation but also be able to
withstand extensive soil movement and high external temperatures.
b) Polyurethane Coating
The polyurethane system offers the advantages of being a one layer coating, equally applicable to field
joints, bends and fittings. It is normally applied by spray. Although expensive, it offers the advantages
of simple coating procedure, durability, strength and corrosion resistance. However, due to lack of
factory application, its use on pipelines in the Gulf has been mainly limited to bends, tees and some
field joints. A study on performance of various coating systems in the Gulf showed that polyurethane
exhibited a life expectancy of 3-4 years under severe conditions. The same study showed that a
coating system comprising of an inorganic zinc silicate primer, epoxy second coat and polyurethane
top coat had a life expectancy of 10-12 years under severe conditions 9.
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If FBE was selected for field joint coating, then it may be sensible to consider dual FBE coating due to
its improved mechanical properties over standard FBE coating a.
Currently, there are five main systems for coating the field joints of pipelines coated with the three layer
polypropylene. These are:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
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We have had around 50,000 pipeline joints in the desert coated with this system and it the 5 years
since the job completion have not encountered any significant problems. Limited excavations have not
shown anything to indicate otherwise.
c) Two Layer FBE / Combined Adhesive and Polypropylene Applied by Flame Spray Gun
This is one of the most recently developed systems for coating of the field joints. The surface
preparation for this coating is identical to the other two field joint coating systems described above. The
joint surface is blast cleaned to achieve the required standard (Figure 4). During the induction heating
(up to 230C), the factory applied polypropylene coating around the field joint is isolated from the heat
by temporary aluminium or fibreglass shields. FBE and chemically modified polypropylene powders are
then applied by flock spraying (Figure 5). After this stage another layer of chemically modified
polypropylene is applied by a flame spray gun on to the joint until the required thickness is achieved
(Figure 6). The polypropylene is transported through a mixture of gases (propane, nitrogen and oxygen
or propane & nitrogen only) and melts in the gun before reaching the pipe surface. The thickness of the
finished joint coating may be equal or less than that of the factory applied coating.
When using a single crew, flame spray coating would require a shorter time to reach a coating
thickness equal to the co-extruded sheet. This advantage is particularly important for offshore pipelines
where time spent on site by the coating crew can be very costly. Another advantage is that this system
can be also applied to bends and tees. Its equipment is relatively easy to mobilise in the field and its
application requires a lesser degree of skill than the co-extruded sheet.
We have used this coating system on some 40,000 field joints recently after extensive procedure
qualification testing. It is therefore early days to judge its success in the climatic conditions existing in
the Gulf. As can be seen in Table 4, mechanical and other associated properties of flame sprayed field
joint coatings are inferior to those of the co-extruded sheet coatings. However, due to its easier
application and its applicability to the bends, tees and welded joints, flame sprayed polypropylene
appears to be favoured by coating contractors.
d) Polyurethane Coating
Most of the track record with polyurethane field joint coatings is with polyethylene coated pipes. There
have recently been some applications of this coating to polypropylene coated pipes in the North Sea.
Our procedure qualification testing has shown that polyurethane's weak points are its adhesion to the
factory applied polypropylene and its resistance to high temperatures.
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The great advantage of this coating is the fact that the co-extruded Polypropylene sheet is prefabricated in the factory and one therefore obtains a uniformity in the quality and properties of the
coating. The chances of deterioration in coating properties as a result of poor coating application in the
field and insufficient quality control is therefore considerably reduced. The main disadvantage of this
system is that it can not be applied to bends and tees, thus necessitating the use of another coating
system for these applications. Also it is a relatively slow process, particularly if carried out by a single
crew, and requires a degree of skill in its applicators.
Another coating system that, like FBE, can be used for coating the entire line is cold wrapped tapes.
This feature, together with their relative low cost and ease of installation, has made them fairly popular.
Our experience with tapes has not been very satisfactory. We have observed a number of failures,
especially in Sabkha areas, where the tape has disbonded and salty water has caused rapid corrosion
of the pipeline. Another oil and gas company in the UAE has reported a large number of failures of cold
wrapped tape coatings 1. The reasons for the failures included:
Another study has reported very poor adhesion of tapes to polypropylene coated pipelines and
extremely low resistance to soil stressing at high temperatures (-105C) 3. A comparison of tapes with
other field joint coating systems, including FBE and heat shrink sleeves, has found them to be much
inferior to the rest 1.
CONCLUSIONS
Three layer polypropylene and three layer Polyethylene are advanced, environmentally friendly coating
systems for pipelines buried in hostile environments, such as wet and saline soil, subject to soil
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There are, as yet, no international standards dedicated to field joint coatings for polyethylene or
polypropylene coated line pipes. There is a real need for such standards to ease the process of
selection, testing and inspection of field joint coatings. Meanwhile, it is recommended that thorough
procedure qualification trials both at the coating yards and in the field be carried out before the final
selection is made.
REFERENCES
1. A. Dos Santos, In-Service Failure of Pipeline Wrapping Tapes, GASCO internal publication
presented at the Second ADCO Corrosion Conference, Abu Dhabi, 1998.
2. K.M. Morsi & A. El Key, Corrosion prompts replacement ofAbu Dhabi gas-gathering system., Oil &
Gas Journal, October 1993, p76-79.
3. D. Fairhurst & D. Willis, Polypropylene Coating Systems for Pipelines Operating at Elevated
Temperatures, Journal of Protective Coatings & Linings, March 1997, p.64-82.
4. D. Neal, Two coating systems contend for premium spot in the market, Pipe Line & Gas Industry,
March 1998, p43-48.
5. C. Steely, Weld Seams: A Weak Link in the Chain of a Coating System?, Mat. Per., 33,11, 1994.
6. A. Andrenacci, D. Wong & J. Mordarski, New Developments in Joint Coating and Field Repair
Technology, Mat. Per., 38, 2, 1999.
7. M. Nassivera, TO TAL's experience with external pipe coating and field joints, TOTAL internal
publication presented at the Second ADCO Corrosion Conference, Abu Dhabi, 1998.
8. V. Rodriguez, E. Perozo & E. Alvarez, Coating Application and Evaluation for Heavy Wall
Thickness, Temperature, and Pressure Pipeline, Mat. Per., 37,2, 1998.
9. J. Carew, at al, Performance of Coating Systems in Industrial Atmospheres on the Arabian Gulf,
Mat. Per., 33, 12, 1994.
10. D. Neal, Comparison of Performance of FieldApplied Girth Weld Coatings, Mat. Per., 36,1, p20-24.
11. External Polyethylene and Polypropylene Coating for Line Pipe. Shell Design and Engineering
Practice 31.40.30.31, December 1994.
12. DIN 30670, Polyethylene coatings for steel pipes and fittings, 1991.
13. DIN 30672, Coatings of corrosion protection tapes and heat shrinkable material for pipelines
(operating continuously at temperatures above 50 ~), 1991.
14. DIN 30678, Polypropylene coatings for steel pipes, 1991.
15. NFA 49711, Application of three layer extruded polypropylene coatings to steel tubes, AFNOR,
1992.
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movement and operating at elevated (65C - 110C) temperatures. They are less prone to mechanical
damage than FBE. Many different types of field joint coatings exist for the three layer coatings. The
preferred systems for coating three layer polyethylene coated pipes are sprayed polyurethane and
polyethylene heat shrink sleeve. The most mechanically sound system for field joint coating of three
layer polypropylene coated pipes is the co-extruded polypropylene sheet. Flame sprayed
polypropylene, however, is often preferred for its greater flexibility and easier applicability. An overall
ranking of the coating systems used for polypropylene coated pipe field joints is presented in Table 5.
This indicates that, should polyurethane system manufacturers succeed in improving its technical
characteristics, it could become much more popular for polypropylene field joint coatings. Another
serious contender is polypropylene heat shrink sleeves. This has not as yet, at least in the Gulf region,
become popular for polypropylene field joint coating. Cold tape wrap has been found to be less than
ideal for climates such as those in the wet, saline and hot soils found in some parts of the Arabian
deserts.
Coating
Coal Tar Enamel
Coal Tar Enamel + Concrete
Three Layer Polyethylene
Fusion Bonded Epoxy
Three Layer Polypropylene
Temperature C (F)
70(158)
90 (194)
85 (185)
90 (194)
140 (284)
TABLE 2
COST COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT COATING SYSTEMS 3'7
Coating System
Order of Cost
1
1.4
2.0
2.0-2.3
Cost as % of total
pipeline cost
(onshore)
8%
Cost as % of total
pipeline cost
(offshore)
11%
11%
11%
15%
15%
TABLE 3
COST COMPARISON BETWEEN FIELD JOINT COATING SYSTEMS FOR
POLYPROPYLENE COATED PIPELINES*
Coatin 9 System
Co-extruded sheet
Flame sprayed
Polyurethane
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TABLE 1
PROJECTED MAXIMUM OPERATING TEMPERATURES ~'T
Test
Bending Test result
Penetration at ambient temp
Penetration at 110C
Impact resistance
Peel adhesion at ambient
Peel adhesion at 110C
Cathodic Disbondment @ 65C/48hours
Cathodic Disbondment @ 110C/48 hours
Cathodic Disbondment @ 20C/28 days
Impact strength
Oxygen induction time
Typical time for field joint coating (3mm
thick)
Co-extruded sheet
No crack
0.06 mm
0.13 mm
23 J/mm
1550 N
510 N
0 mm
0 mm
1.0 mm
> 16 Mpa
50-75 minutes
45 minutes (applying
a 3.4 mm sheet)
Flame spray
No crack
0.03 mm
0.9 mm
16 J/mm
510 N
400 N
0 mm
0 mm
1.0 mm
> 15 Mpa
15-20 minutes
18-20 minutes
TABLE 5
RANKING OF THREE SYSTEMS FOR FIELD JOINT COATING OF POLYPROPYLENE
COATED PIPELINES (IN DESCENDING ORDER, 1 BEING THE BEST)
Coating System
Co-extruded Sheet
Flame Sprayed
Polyurethane
Technical
Characteristics
1
2
3
Ease of Field
Application
3
2
1
Cost
3
2
1
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TABLE 4
COMPARISON OF PROCEDURE QUALIFICATION TESTS DATA BETWEEN FIELD
JOINT COATING SYSTEMS FOR POLYPROPYLENE COATED PIPELINES 7
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FIGURE 1. Application of epoxy primer on a pipeline field joint in the desert prior to installation
of a polyethylene heat shrink sleeve (photo courtesy of Shaw Industries).
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FIGURE 4. A welded pipeline joint surface after surface preparation and in readiness for
coating.
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FIGURE 3. A polyethylene heat shrink sleeve being heated into shape by magnetic induction
heating (photo courtesy of Shaw Industries).
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FIGURE 5. Application of FBE primer and modified polypropylene adhesive by flock spraying.
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